The document summarizes the findings of the Nutrition Causal Analysis (NCA) research project in Burkina Faso and Chad. The NCA is a structured, participatory study that aims to understand the local causes of undernutrition. The research found that factors like lack of education, long male absences, poor access to water, and weak economic security for women increased undernutrition rates. Additionally, active female involvement in education, income generation, and household financial management was linked to lower undernutrition. The NCA brought multi-sectoral insights but had limitations in measuring relative cause importance and fully integrating gender indicators. Future work will provide NCA guidelines, disseminate findings, and support more gender analyses using the methodology.

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Contribution of the NCA research project
to gender and nutrition
Bader Mahaman, Julien Chalimbaud, Myriam-Ait-Aissa,
Scientific and Technical Deparment, ACF France

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CONTENTS
• Brief introduction of the NCA
• Main research findings
• Main lessons learned
• Way forward with the NCA

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NUTRITION CAUSAL ANALYSIS: WHAT FOR?
• Structured, participatory and holistic study to build a case for
nutrition causality in a local context
• Investigate why sectorial programs are having limited impact on
nutrition
• Understand pathways to under nutrition (how, where, when)

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Components of the Nutrition Causal
Analysis
Identifying causal hypothesis
Quantitative
survey
Qualitative
inquiry
Participatory rating of causal
hypothesis
Analysis of the local context

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Contribution to Gender and Nutrition
Analyse the role of men and women as well as their
social status within the community
Better knowledge of ‘who controls resources’
Explore how the repartition of roles can impact
nutrition at the household level

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Main findings on the major determinants
(Burkina Faso and Chad)
Lack/level of education within the household
Long absence of men during the year (i.e.
transhumance)
Inadequate household access to water
Weak economic security of women
Birth/child spacing
Treatment choices for the household members
Active involment of women in education, income
generating activity and the management of household
income consistently contributes to lower rate
of undernutrition.

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LESSONS LEARNED
STRENGHS & OPPORTUNITIES
Qualitative method that allows a better understanding of the issue
Multi-sectoral analysis and approach
Brings together different perceptions
Brings a socio-anthropological point of view
Practical field assessment tool
WEAKNESSES & CONSTRAINS
No means of measuring the relative importance of each cause
Complexity of integrating of gender and nutrition indicators

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WAY FORWARD
More gender analysis in future implementation of the NCA
methodology (Kenya, India, Ethiopia).
Dissemination of guidelines for conducting a NCA(2014)
Disseminate and provide technical support for NCA studies
Publication of main findings from the NCA research

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Scientific partners of the NCA
NCA Scientific
Committee
Helen Young
Jennifer Coates
Kate Ogden
Susanne Jaspars
Yves Martin Prével
Technical
Experts (Nutrition,
Food Security,
Wash, Care
Practices)
Project Manager
Julien Chalimbaud
(nca@actioncontrelafaim.org)

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THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION